Kipchoge out of London defence as Bekele leads field

Eliud Kipchoge breasts the tape to set a new London Marathon men's course record. PHOTO/London Marathon

Olympics and two-time Virgin London Marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge will not defend his title on April 23 organisers have confirmed following the release of the star-studded elite men’s field on Monday.

Kipchoge, who missed the world record set by Dennis Kimetto of 2:02:57 by only eight seconds in his successful defence last year before running to the Olympics title in Brazil, will instead focus on the American apparel firm Nike’s drive to break the two hour barrier in the ultimate distance race.

“I’m involved in the Breaking2 project that will be run sometime later this year in America or Europe so I will not go to London to defend my title,” Kipchoge told Citizen Digital moments after the elite London field was released.

After more than two years of research, preparation and testing, three top distance runners—Kipchoge of Kenya, Lelisa Desisa of Ethiopia, and Zersenay Tadese of Eritrea—were chosen in the Nike-backed build-up toward a sub-two-hour attempt sometime in the spring, the exact timing and location of which have yet to be finalised.

It leaves Ethiopian track legend and Berlin Marathon champion, Kenenisa Bekele who finished third behind Kipchoge and compatriot Stanley Biwott as the figure-head of the imposing field for the 2017 London race.

Biwott who won New York in 2015 and pushed Kipchoge until the final two kilometres returns as the likely main rival to Bekele as he leads the Kenyan challenge in the absence of two-time champion Kipchoge.

Biwott will hope to mark his 31st birthday, which falls just two days before the race, with his first London victory. He finished runner-up in 2014, fourth in 2015 and second again last year in a personal best time of 2:03:51.

Biwott will have top class company in two-time world champion and Chicago winner Abel Kirui and fast rising Daniel Wanjiru.

The experienced Kirui, who won the world marathon title in 2011 and 2013, returns to London for the first time since 2012 when he was fifth just four months before winning Olympic silver in the same city.

After a number of years without a major victory, he was a surprise winner of the 2016 Chicago last October and will be looking for another strong performance as he seeks selection for Kenya’s 2017 World Championship team.

Wanjiru will also be one to watch after he lowered his personal best by almost three minutes to win last October’s Amsterdam Marathon in 2:05:21.

Kirui will not be the only world champion on show as Eritrea’s young star Ghirmay Ghebreslassie returns to London after finishing fourth last April in a PB 2:07:46.

The 21-year-old famously became the youngest global marathon champion ever when he won the 2015 world title in Beijing at the age of 19.

He enhanced his status as one of the world’s best when he claimed the 2016 New York Marathon crown last November after placing fourth at the Rio Games in August.

Also coming in is World Cross and World Half silver medallist Bedan Karoki Muchiri who had an injury disrupted 2016 as he finally hopes to crown his debut over the ultimate distance.

Arguably, Bekele tops the list of world-class contenders in the men’s elite race at the 2017 London Marathon.

Already a triple Olympic champion and double world record holder on the track, Bekele became the world’s second fastest marathon runner of all time when he won the 2016 Berlin Marathon last September.

Bekele missed the world record by just six seconds when he crossed the finish line in the German capital in 2:03:03 after a thrilling battle with former world record holder Wilson Kipsang.

It was the fastest marathon time in the world in 2016 and broke Haile Gebreselassie’s Ethiopian record, sending a powerful message to the selectors who had left him out of the Rio Olympic Games.

Now Bekele will seek to become only the third Ethiopian man ever to win the coveted London title and the first since two-time winner Tsegaye Kebede in 2013.

Bekele made his London debut last April when he ran an impressive race to finish third behind Kipchoge and Biwott despite not being fully fit.

Now regarded as one of the true marathon elites, he will have Kipchoge’s course record of 2:03:05 in his sights this year, and perhaps even Dennis Kimetto’s world record of 2:02:57.

“London is the greatest marathon in the world and I would love to win there,” said Bekele. “The field is always the best and victory means so much. After finishing third last year, I know what I need to do to win.”

Such is the quality of the line-up, however, the leading pair are just two of seven men who have run marathons in under 2:06, while the field contains two marathon world champions, three of the top five finishers from last summer’s Olympic Games, and the winners of the Abbott World Marathon Majors races in Tokyo, Berlin, Chicago and New York in 2016.

As ever, the main contenders come from east Africa with the Ethiopian contingent especially strong this year.

Bekele’s compatriots on the famous Start Line at Blackheath will include Rio Olympic silver medallist and Tokyo Marathon champion Feyisa Lilesa, the 2016 Dubai and Hamburg Marathon champion Tesfaye Abera, and Tilahun Regassa, who is aiming to make the London podium after finishing fifth and sixth in the last two years.

Europe could also have a serious challenger in the shape of Abraham Tadesse who broke the Swiss record last March when he clocked 2:06:40 in Seoul, missing the European record by just four seconds. The Eritrean-born Tadesse went on to win half marathon gold for his adopted country at the European Championships last summer and placed seventh at the Olympic Games a month later.

Former European 10,000m silver medallist Chris Thompson flies the flag for Britain on home roads as he targets a place in British Athletics’ London 2017 World Championship team. Thompson was 11th on his debut in London three years ago but could only finish 16th last year when he missed out on Rio selection.